swollen 4 paws

Question
I was asked to give ground oatmeal to my 17month old chihuahua  that has swollen toes.  She is allergic to grains.  Is ground oatmeal a grain and is it ok to give to her if she has skin allergies?  Otherwise please let me know actually what to purchase.  Detail  Any suggestions of what to do for those swollen paws and how to get them to come down?  I have socks on to keep her from licking them constantly.

Answer
Oatmeal is indeed a grain. There are many grain free foods available.  I would try one of them. It is important to not only change the food, but also to avoid ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: WHEAT, CORN, SOY, DAIRY AND BEEF! Be sure that the food you select contains none of these, and that none of these go in your dog's mouth in the form of treats as well, whether off of your plate or in the form of store bought dog treats. I would also suggest that you look into switching your friend to not only a grain free formula, but consider using a prepared raw diet as well. There are many good, frozen brands available such as Northwest Naturals, Steve's Real Food, Raw Health,BARF, and others depending upon where you live. If a raw food isn't available, I would recommend adding a quality enzyme supplement to whatever food you buy. If the store you go to has quality grain free foods, they should have enzyme supplements as well.

I would also recommend eliminating any other toxins from your pet's body and environment such as, any form of chemical flea control (internal and external), chemical heartworm preventatives (there are homeopathic alternatives available), vaccinations, etc.

My new book "Simple Steps to a Healthy Pet" will be available soon as an e-book on my site: www.critteroil.com.  It has a lot more information than I can tell you here, plus if you go to the site, there are many articles there already that will help you understand the "whys" of my recommendations.

Any other questions, please feel free to call me at my business; 727-327-2356.

Take care,
Sue Griffin